What’s the deal with Supplements?

What’s the deal with all the supplements you people feed your horses? There must be thousands of different things you can add to your horse’s food on a daily basis. Who would even want to eat all that stuff in their food, it has to mask the deliciousness that is food, right? As a diabetic kitty the only “supplement” I take is my insulin twice daily, thank goodness. My staff just pokes me with a tiny needle to give that and doesn’t mess with my food, because I might go on a hunger strike if they messed with my food! Since I didn’t know much about horse supplements, I wanted to learn a bit more, so I talked to my docs about what they think about all the different types of supplements out there. Let’s chat about some of the most popular types that you’ll see daily at your local feed store.

Electrolytes

It has been so refreshing and cool this past weekend, it’s almost easy to forget how much horses sweat (if we are lucky). Hopefully your horse is a good sweater and you don’t have to deal with anhydrosis, but that is a topic for another week. As you know, horses lose sweat during exercise and in hot and humid conditions aka FLORIDA. When they sweat, they lose more than just salt, they lose sodium, calcium, chloride, and magnesium. This means they need all of these elements replenished through their diet. You might think that hanging a salt or mineral block for your horse will be enough to get them all they lose when they sweat but unfortunately that’s not always the case.

Often times my docs will recommend adding an electrolyte to your horse’s food or water. The problem with salt and mineral blocks is the intake per horse is highly variable and it can be hard to tell how much your horse is consuming. The best way to replenish what is lost in sweat is to add an electrolyte to their feed or water. When you walk in your local feed store you may be overwhelmed with all the different types of electrolytes. So how do you pick the right one for your horse? My docs recommend you evaluate the sugar content and pick one that is low in sugar.

You may have noticed that this past weekend with the cooler weather your horse has not been drinking as much as he should. This is often the case when the weather turns colder, horses forget to drink. And we all know what happens when horses forget to drink, yup, the dreaded C-word, colic.  I never forget to drink or eat. Cats are too smart for that!  So, how do you get your horse to keep drinking when the weather changes? Add in some electrolytes to their feed, even just some plain table salt can encourage them to drink more. However, there is some concern with adding in plain salt to your horse’s diet. Some horses will not eat plain salt. They may lick a salt block, but if you add salt to their grain, they won’t eat it. Explain that logic to me!

The other potential problem with feeding table salt is in feeding it to horses with active gastric ulcers. Think about it: if you feed your horse salt and he has an ulcer in his stomach, you will literally be pouring salt on a wound, OUCH! That being said, you may find that electrolytes are the easiest and most palatable to feed your horse.

Joint Supplements

If I know anything, I know that you people all want the best for your horses and will do whatever you can to keep your horse feeling 100%, including feeding the most expensive joint supplement on the market. Well, luckily for you, I am here to save you all the money. Joint supplements may seem like the answer to all your problems. However, I am here to tell you that is not always the case. Unfortunately, the science behind feed-through joint supplements is lacking and the studies out there only show how the supplements work before they hit the horse’s digestive tract.

If you have ever had a horse colic you know they have the most wonky GI tract and who knows if joint supplements can even withstand the digestive process and do what they are supposed to do in the joint. If you ask my docs about feed-through joint supplements, they will tell you all you’re doing is making some very expensive manure. However, if you have the desire to add a joint supplement to your horse’s feed, by all means, go for it, it might help and can’t hurt. But if you want the next level treatment for your horse’s joints, I recommend you talk to my docs to get their recommendations on exercise programs along with a possible injectable joint supplement such as Adequan that may benefit your horse more than feed-through joint supplements.

Hoof Supplements

You all know the saying, no hoof no horse, and your farrier has probably recommended a hoof supplement for your horse, especially if they have any history of feet problems. Your farrier is definitely not wrong to recommend a hoof supplement, but let’s look at them a little further to see if they are something your horse really needs.

Most hoof supplements are made up of mostly biotin. You know, maybe I should take a hoof supplement, biotin would surely make my coat gleam and my nails sharper to better catch those rats with, but I digress.

As we have discussed, horses have wonky gastrointestinal tracts and weird-o digestive systems. However, their odd GI has set them up to make their own biotin in their hindgut which suggests they don’t really need any supplemented in their diet.  That being said, there have been reports that with the addition of a hoof supplement, owners, farriers, and veterinarians have noticed an increase in hoof growth, improvement in the quality and elasticity of the horn, and strengthening of weakened hoof walls, particularly in horses with “shelly” feet.

Similar to joint supplements, hoof supplements certainly might help and won’t hurt. If you are going to feed a hoof supplement, make sure you’re feeding the appropriate amount of 15-20 mg per 1000lb horse per day, but remember, you cannot rely fully on hoof supplements for the health of your horse’s feet. A good working relationship between my docs and your farrier is essential as well as good nutrition.

We have only just begun to scratch the surface of supplements that are available to feed your horse. If you have any questions about what supplement you should or should not feed and how they work, be sure to call the clinic and talk to my docs about your horse’s needs.  Remember, there is no supplement that can replace a balanced diet, and feeding your horse a balanced diet of appropriate grain and forage is essential to their wellbeing. My docs are always available for appointments to discuss nutrition including what grain, hay and supplements to feed your horse, so call the clinic and schedule your appointment to see me, and talk to the docs about feeding your horse.

Want more right now? Check out the podcast my docs did on Supplements. It’s Season 2, Episode 16. You can listen to it right on my website by clicking here, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Until next week,

~Tony

There’s a problem in equine veterinary medicine that rarely gets discussed. The bodies. The reality is that horses are really big, and it’s going to take a decent amount of work to manage the body after they pass. It’s not a pleasant topic, but it’s an important one. And since it’s Halloween week, and I’ve got this bad cat sense of humor, I felt it would be a good time to talk about this grave topic. 

The Elephant in the Room

Let’s start with the obvious problem: the size. Horses are, generally, pretty darn big. When they pass, we are left with a very large body to manage. The goldfish option is definitely no good. Then there’s the pet cemetery in the back yard, but unless you have a really big backyard, that’s not going to work. There’s cremation, but you need to find a crematorium that’s big enough. And finally, there’s the someone who picks them up and takes them away option. Even in Marion County, where a lot of horses live, this last option has long been the most used option. However, a few things have happened to make this option more and more expensive.

Residues

One of the primary ways horses have been euthanized for many, many years is with an overdose of a drug called pentobarbital. This an anesthetic which has many nice properties for humane euthanasia. First, because it’s an anesthetic, the horse falls asleep first, then gently passes away over a very short time frame. Next, it is relatively inexpensive in large quantities, because again, being the realistic cat I am, you need large quantities of anything for horses because they’re big. Finally, while pentobarbital is a controlled drug, which means it has special paperwork to go with it, most humans don’t really want to use it to get high so my Docs don’t have to worry too much about that. 

Here comes the but. But, pentobarbital residues have shown up in some places they weren’t supposed to, namely pet food. Personally, I was horrified by this. Anything that jeopardizes my food supply is very not OK with this fat cat. Pentobarbital also stays in the environment a really, really long time. This means those horses that are buried are contaminating groundwater near their bodies. The environment can handle this if you have one or two buried on a large property, but get three or four in a small area, and it’s not so good. Here in Florida we are especially sensitive to this, since our groundwater level is so high you can find standing water in a hole 6” deep. That’s the water we drink.

Are there good options?

Yes! Many really smart people have been working on this issue, and have come up with very humane euthanasia methods that don’t require drugs which leave bad residues. Now, these people aren’t as smart as a cat, but I do think they’ve done a pretty good job. Veterinarians the world over have also been discussing what to do with the bodies, even without the residue, and have a few options. Some readily available, some needing a little more work. Let’s start with cremation. Step one is to find a crematorium which can handle something as large as a horse. They are out there. However, it is really pricey at around $1500. Cremation also carries its own environmental issues. 

Composting of the remains is possible, but requires a large volume of compostable material like wood mulch to go under and over the body. This is being explored in many horse-dense areas like Marion County, but this cat doesn’t know of any commercial-level horse composting facilities. The other option is burial, but with one of the alternative euthanasia methods. Finally, there is the county landfill option. While this one doesn’t sound very good to you horse owners, it is often the best, most cost-effective option available. In north central Florida, this option has been the go-to, but now it’s getting harder and harder to find as many landfills have stopped accepting them.

Want to help come up with better options? Check with my Docs, or your veterinarian, to see what alternatives are being explored in your area. I will say I learn some interesting things sitting at the front desk. I never thought of this issue until the price to pick up a body recently went up $200 in one day because of increased landfill fees. That makes euthanasia and removal cost about $800. That’s a big bill on a tough day, that no one wants to make harder. Rest assured my Docs are trying their hardest to work with options in the area to come up with the best solutions possible.

Until next week,

~Tony

P.S. Did you know that Dr. Lacher’s husband wrote a book? It’s called Adventures of the Horse Doctor’s Husband. It’s been the #1 best selling book on Amazon in the horse care category for a few months now. Apparently that’s a big deal, so I thought I would mention it. You can click on the banner below to learn more about it. Okay, I’m going to take a nap.